Perfectly Unattainable
by JasonGraceless
Summary: Annabeth snorted. Rachel had been trying to persuade her to go on a double date with her and her boyfriend for the past three days. She had been hearing Rachel gush about him for, like, five years, but she had never met him. (Until she ran into him at Starbucks and instantly fell in love with him. And then found out his name.) / Happy 17th birthday, Percy!


_Dedicated to that hot mess of a fictional guy who turned seventeen today. (I'm aware that I posted this the night before Percy's birthday, I just wanted everyone to see it as soon as they woke up.)_

;;;

"Why don't you like Jason? He's awesome!"

Annabeth groaned. "If you like him so much, why don't _you_ go out with him?"

"Because I have a boyfriend! That's the whole point!" Rachel, her best friend and roommate, jumped over the back of the couch and plopped down next to her, popcorn in hand. "You're acting weird. Are you stoned? If you are, can I have some?"

Annabeth snorted. "As if."

Rachel had been trying to persuade her to go on a double date with her and her boyfriend for the past three days. Annabeth had been hearing Rachel gush about him for, like, _five years_, way before Rachel and Annabeth had decided to become roomies, but she had never met him.

His name was Percy Jackson, he was from Manhattan, he had a Marine Biology major, volunteered every year as a counselor at a children's summer camp, worked a part-time job as a lifeguard, and probably rescued kittens from trees and helped elderly ladies cross the street in his free time, too. Apparently, he was also unbelievably hot.

Annabeth had dubbed him "Mr. Perfect," and had begun groaning loudly whenever Rachel mentioned him.

And all of that _sucked_, because he sounded exactly like the kind of guy she needed in her life. But, like, no one like that existed, right? Rachel had to be biased.

At least, she hoped that she was. She had never even seen a _picture_ of the guy, because Rachel's parents had refused to pay for another iPhone 5S after the nineteenth cracked, paint-splattered screen. And her phone bill was none too low, either.

Anyway, Annabeth had refused to go on a double date, but Rachel was still rattling off names and numbers of possible candidates who Annabeth could ask out. They were supposed to go out tonight, and Annabeth was still stubbornly refusing.

"What about Leo? Leo's cool."

Annabeth stared at her. "Are you kidding me? He's, like, five foot six. That means I can't wear heels. And, like, completely ADHD. He's infuriating."

Rachel sighed and pursed her lips. She put down the bowl of popcorn and stood up, putting her hands on her hips.

"Annabeth. I don't care who you bring. But you need to bring someone. You are going to find a fancy date. You are going to put on a fancy dress. We are going to bring him to the fancy restaurant down the block tonight at 7 PM. You are going to meet Percy. You are going to be very nice. And you are going to have fun. Seriously, you make a fancy dinner sound like a night in jail."

"It's Wednesday."

"So?"

"It's a weeknight."

Rachel threw her hands up in the air. "We're on vacation!"

Annabeth sighed. "I'll ask Jason."

Rachel cheered and hugged her, twirling. "You're going to have the best night ever," she promised. "Jason is going to be blown away."

;;

That afternoon, Annabeth could be found sitting alone in a booth at Starbucks, scrolling through her texts on her phone, sipping a medium black coffee, a shopping bag containing a brand-new dress for tonight in the seat on her right.

Jason had already agreed to show up tonight, and she was honestly a little disappointed— don't get her wrong, she liked the guy, but they were too much alike. It was weird, kind of like going out with a distant cousin.

She was wondering if she could cancel now, fake sick and—

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

A deep, husky voice interrupted her thoughts, and her head jerked up involuntarily, eyes widening.

The owner of the voice had the blackest hair she had ever seen, artfully disheveled and contrasting perfectly with a deep, even tan, like he had spent his whole life on the beach, and unusually sea-green eyes. Tall? Check. Muscled? Check.

She opened her mouth a little, and then closed it just as fast.

"So, uh, can I? Everywhere else is full," he repeated, giving her a smirk that kind of made her heart feel like it had taken a dive off the deep end.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Annabeth replied hurriedly, snatching the shopping bag off the seat next to her and placing it on the floor.

He slid into the stool next to her, shuffling his broad shoulders uncomfortably in the small chair back, holding a frappucino that looked like it was at least 97% whipped cream.

Annabeth realized she was staring again, and quickly looked away.

"So, you go to school near here?" the guy asked easily, as if he chatted with complete strangers everyday.

"Uh, yeah. I'm a sophomore in college. Architecture major."

His brow furrowed for a moment, but then he smiled brightly. "Huh. That's pretty cool. I'm guessing you're pretty smart, then."

She flushed in pleasure. "Oh… thanks. Do you have a major?"

She was already seriously considering asking this guy for his number.

He hesitated for a moment before answering, "I don't go to school here, just visiting from New York, but yeah… um, it's a weird one... Marine Biology."

Annabeth's eyes widened. _No_. _No, no, no, _she thought frantically. No way in hell was she letting this happen.

He laughed a little. "Yeah, I know, it's unusual. Oh, I haven't even told you my name. Where are my manners? My mother would have my head…"

He continued to talk, but she wasn't really listening.

_Please, no, _she thought desperately. She wondered if it would be rude to run away now, before she could find out. She decided with a cringe that it _probably_ would be.

He stuck out his hand, grinning. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Percy Jackson."

;;;


End file.
